Is it ok to wear open toe shoes with business attire? Yes, it is! Some years ago that would have been considered inappropriate, however, times are changing. The open toe shoe is really in right now (like the round toe shoe) and if the rest of the outfit is business-like and suitably accessorized, it is acceptable even in a pretty conservative work situations. If you are in doubt, try the shoe on with the suit itself, because sometimes you won’t get the full impression of how the shoe will work with a professional women’s business suit until you see them together. It’s all about the complete look.

Slingback shoes are pushing it, though. (The slingbacks are in the last photo.) Don’t wear them if you are meeting a client for the first time. And don’t forget to do your pedicure before you introduce your toes to the world.

 (These shoes from Nine West.)

The suit jacket doesn’t always have to be the same as the pants or the skirt. See this example of two beautiful Armani suits with gray tones that match and blend so well. All your business suits don’t have to be completely uniform. You can mix and match different shades of gray suits, for example, and come up with some very stylish professional outfits. The first photo has a pair of charcoal gray slacks with a suit jacket that is almost blackish gray, and a loosely tied scarf in a very ligth shade of gray.

How do you make a casual work outfit look more professional? With the right jacket.

When you are dressed down with casual pants and a casual top, it gives a much more professional look to the whole ensemble if you put on a short jacket, and keep it on the whole day. That cute, short, casual jacket, even though very informal, gives a much more organized impression. That’s how you can get away with wearing jeans and not looking too casual. Check out the photo above with the jeans and the white tank top – just because there is a nice jacket to complete the look, it takes away that dress-down feel and gives it a more professional image. Go through all the casual work outfits in your closet and plan out which jackets you are going to wear with them.

(These jackets from H & M, and White House Black Market.)

Why do we have so much black in our closets?? Probably because we think black matches everything. But does it? There are alternatives in other neutral colors that match up with a lot of your clothes; some perhaps even better than black.

It’s a myth that black matches everything. Some colors look better with brown, gray, tan or cream. Try various shades of gray business suits, and match them up to various blouses and tops. But look carefully and take your time comparing, because all grays are not the same – some grays have faint hues of green, blue, or brown, etc. The same gray may not go with everything. Then play around with brown womens’s suits, and tan jackets – some browns are warm and some are cool. The standard black dress slacks can be added to with one pair of gray slacks and one pair of brown ones. And the standard black jacket that everybody has, can be added to with a tan blazer. These neutrals are also easy to match with a lot of things - sometimes even better than black. If you must follow a very formal and strict business attire, then darker suits are better, but they don’t all have to be black – go for dark brown suits or dark gray suits.

 I don’t actually recommend getting rid of all your black clothes, just don’t shop like your going to a funeral. And you might want to get better lighting in your closet, like I did - I had so much black clothes that I couldn’t see what I had!!

 (These suits from Ann Taylor and BCBG)

Silda Spitzer seems to be having a hard time right now, but the issue may not be as black and white as the media makes it seem. Having a political marriage doesn’t give people more right to gossip about you. Having trouble with your marriage is no fun, but when media and neighbors gossip about your marriage, it’s even worse. Let’s let Silda have some privacy with her family affairs and instead participate in a more harmless form of gossip – like what clothes she wears. 

In this photo Silda Spitzer wears a white pant suit with a black top.  The black top underneath makes a dramitic contrast. She accessorized it with a pearl necklace where the pearls are spaced on a delicate chain. Wearing all white can give a soft look, but contrasting the white with black changes it completely. Black and white together creates a much more dramatic presence.

Photo by DragonFlyEye

Split your business suit up in half. Wear the skirt with a white jacket or white blouse. Wear the jacket with a with skirt. Mix and match your suits with other jackets and skirts you already have. When you buy something new, always do a mental inventory of your closet to think what you can wear this new office outfit with. Get more mileage for the gas – or more outfits for the bucks, by planning professional wardrobe purchases out so that you can have the most amount of outfit combinations possible. (These stylish outfits seen at Bloomingdale’s.)

We all have reason to be optimistic, as some sectors continue to grow despite slow economy. The health care industry grew by 36,000 jobs last month, and Uncle Sam is looking to hire 200,000 employees, according to Fox News. The top 5 growing job markets are #1 Salt Lake City, UT, #2 Wichita, KS, #3 Austin, TX, #4 Atlanta, GA, and #5 Fort Worth, TX.

So what professional clothes should you wear to the job interview? Don’t dress to casual for the interview. If you aren’t sure what level of professionalism your interview outfit should be, keep in mind that it’s always better to over-dress, than to under-dress. You won’t be criticized for being too well dressed. Wear a professional pant suit or skirt suit, with a  pressed blouse. It’s tried and true, and can’t go wrong. If it turns out that this place of work allows casual work clothes, you can always wear that later when you start the job. But the interview is your only chance to make that first impression, so don’t under-dress for it. Here are some examples with suits and blouses from Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, and Bloomingdale’s.

While Hillary was asked her viewpoint about Spitzer’s situation in Pennsylvania, I was more interested in watching her style. (I guess that is usually the case with me.) I thought Hillary’s dark brown pant suit was very well accessorized with that big, bold red necklace. That red necklace against the brown jacket caught my attention right away. She is often seen in monochromatic suits, in solid colors without prints. When wearing solid colors the accessories become even more important.

Does the necklace make the suit – or does the suit make the necklace? A good question. When you wear solid colors it may look a bit plain unless you dress it up with jewelry or scarves, but on the other hand, if you have a really unique necklace, solid colors may be the best way to feature it to give that piece the attention it deserves.

Photo by Rubia Morua

A tried and true look for casual work clothes, is the skirt and the blouse, as seen in these examples from Banana Republic and Bloomingdales. Pick a nice, fun skirt (not too short), and wear it with a simple blouse. When you shop, gradually build a collection of a few nice skirts, then add some casual blouses that you can interchange. Another option is a fun skirt with a sweater, as in the navy blue cowl neck sweater above. This look is less formal than the standard suit, more free in expression, but still a bit dressy. 

Look at the back of this stylish gray Hugo Boss business suit. When you try clothes on in the fitting room always make sure you see yourself well in rear view. Try to get a fitting room with a rear view mirror. If possible ask a friend, or another shopper, how the clothes look on you from the back. It could be that it looks great on you from the front, but may have a weird cut for your body type when you look at it from behind. Every body is different, you have to take that into account when you shop for business attire – the same standard suit may not be  a good cut for everyone. This cute gathered part on the gray Hugo Boss suit jacket will look gorgeous on some, but it may not fit right on others.

While visiting Ohio, Hillary Clinton wore a great combination of red and black. A very striking look. Here are some pictures with suggestions for red and black women’s suits from Ann Taylor. Some days you feel like wearing all red, some days you feel like wearing all black. But you can also mix match suits, switching the jackets over the skirts. If you make sure the suits match each other when you buy them, you now get more milage with your fashion budget since you now have four outfits instead of two.

 (Hillary photo from http://tryingtounderstandtheworldaroundme.blogspot.com/)

Black business suits can look very powerful. It’s a classic that everyone should have  at least a couple of. But do you sometimes feel that it is too black? Well, one solution is to brighten up your black suit with a bright blouse. Acquire the basic suits first, then buy several basic blouses in bright colors and interchange them with your suits. Pull the blouse collar up and over the jacket lapels. Wear bright lipstick. And perhaps bright colored shoes as well. This will give you an alternate look for a black woman’s business suit.

Here are a few examples on how to wear scarves with suits. Liven up a basic business suit with a short, colorful scarf tied loosely around the neck (but still wear a necklace or chain under it). Or wear a scarf in knot tightly around the neck, tuck it down into the suit  jacket for a more conservative, and perhaps a bit strict, look. With a long scharf, tie it to the strap of your purse or bag, and let it trail gracefully behind you as you walk down the street.

Accessories are an important element of your image. After you’ve gotten dressed, look yourself over in the mirror and see what can be added to your outfit, to make a more complete impression.

As an alternative to the traditional woman’s business suit, you can wear a dress or skirt with a long coat over it. If the situation makes you want to feel a little more dressy, this is a great way to alternate your looks. But you may have to keep the coat on for most of the day, because if you take it off you may not look so professional in just a dress (especially if it is sleeveless). So keep that in mind when you plan your day in the morning. The long coat can be worn with pants as well, and you may want to check that you have a pair of pants that will go with it, when you buy it.

Here we have a white skirt suit from White House Black Market, accessorized with a black belt and a black scarf. This looks very chic and well put togethter -a complete look.

Then we have a white pant suit form H & M. It’s a very stylish suit, with a good cut and sleek lines, however, the fact that it is put together with a bland white t-shirt kind of kills it’s proffesional look. It could be a very good suit if it were accessorized with a more professional blouse, or a nice top in a contrasting color, or perhaps a scarf.

And yes, you can definitely wear white after Labor Day. That fashion rule is from another century.

Buy two suits that match each-other when you plan a business wardrobe. You maximize your fashion budget if you can interchange the suit jackets and the suit pants. Carefully choose two colors that can be interchanged, for example a black suit and a gray suit; or a tan suit and a brown suit. Also, make sure that the fabrics work well with each-other, not just the colors. After you bought the first suit, bring it with you when you shop for the second one, to match them up. Or just be very sure the store has a good return policy. This way you get four stylish women’s business suits for the price of two. And you don’t look like you are wearing the same suit all the time – because you’re not.

Round toe is definitely in now. There are some pointy toes around. But the square toe is definitely out. Personally, I’m sad to see it go because I think it looks cool, and it is so comfortable for my feet. But the round toe also does have a great deal of toe room. And the trick with the pointy toe shoes is to get a pair that has a slightly longer point, so that there is room for your toes leaving the tip part of the point as empty space.

Wear a pair of nice professional slacks, and a casual top with a fun print for a more relaxed look. In an office where you don’t have to wear suits, you can wear colorful, comfortable tops. However, still make sure your slacks are well pressed. If the pants are wrinkly, it will look too casual.

Should the collar be over or under the lapels of the suit? Most commonly, the collar is folded up over the lapels of the jacket. Nothing looks more confident and clean under a jacket, than a crisp basic white blouse. After you put on your business suit, pull the collar of the blouse up and over the lapels. Press it down so that it lays flat over the lapels of the jackets. This is a very professional look.